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School board weighs big pay boosts for bus drivers as insurance costs surge
Summary
The Rock Hills school board spent much of its meeting debating steep pay increases for bus drivers and grappling with a near-20% health insurance premium spike that could add roughly $141,500 to the district’s costs, with no final raise approved today.
The Rock Hills school board discussed aggressive pay increases for school bus drivers and mounting health-insurance costs at its meeting. Board members and staff said driver recruitment and retention problems — including a current vacancy and reliance on existing staff to cover routes — are creating operational strain and prompted proposals to raise Class A (CDL) route pay from about $71 per route to as much as $100 per route.
Staff told the board the district runs four CDL routes and several 14-passenger and suburban routes. Members said neighboring districts sometimes pay more per route but often do not include health insurance; Rock Hills currently offers health benefits to many route drivers. Board members asked staff for a comparative spreadsheet showing neighbor district pay and benefits and for district cost estimates so trustees can quantify the budget impact before changing pay rates.
Separately, staff reported a preliminary health-insurance premium increase of roughly 19.69% for the coming year, which the district estimated could raise its share of plan costs by about $141,500. Board members discussed marketing the plan, soliciting alternative carrier bids through the district’s consultant (IMA), and possible trade-offs between salary increases and benefit levels. Several members urged caution about approving large raises without seeing precise yearly cost projections and a neighbor-comparison analysis.
The board debated operational alternatives alongside pay increases: offering supplemental pay to coaches who drive activity buses, reintroducing or expanding a substitute-driver pool, and considering longevity bonuses or targeted raises for incumbent drivers. Members also discussed whether paying activity drivers or coaches extra for driving could conflict with existing supplemental pay structures and the need to avoid forcing support staff to double as drivers.
No formal pay increase was approved; members requested staff produce comparative pay and benefits data and a projection of the annual cost to the district. Trustees indicated the matter can be revisited at the next meeting once staff supply the requested figures.
